Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club host 216 paddlers for Bay Paddle race

KENT NARROWS — The Kent Island Yacht Club in mid-July, welcomed racers from all across the Mid-Atlantic region.

Race director Chis Hopkinson of Chesapeake Bay Paddle said, “This year’s event is hosted by the Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club. There were 216 paddlers, in five classes — some for the 35 mile circuit around all of KI, and others for the shorter 10 or 3 mile courses.”

There was also a solo class of hearty souls who paddled the entire 35 miles alone in kayaks or outriggers. The winning team was Washington Canoe Club from the DC area, who completed the race in 4:35:07.21. In the solo 35 mile race, James Dunbar finished with a 5:10:32.43 time.

The large outrigger canoes, manned by six individuals are always a big draw, and this year was no exception. The class is known as OC6 and there were 11 teams of ten paddlers. Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing builds on the culture and tradition that spans centuries prior to the recorded history of Hawaii.

The modern day boats are 44 feet long and weigh just 150 pounds empty. These sit six paddlers and are crewed by teams of 10. Where do the other four sit? On the chase boat until it’s their turn to take up a paddle and help to push the boat forward.

Jennifer Cox of KE Aloha, a seasoned OC6 Racer and president of the East Coast Outrigger Race Association explained the process. As a team prepares for an exchange of paddlers, the chase boat speeds ahead and drops the new paddlers into the water. The new paddlers slap their hands on the water to show the boat where they are. The boat steers toward them and as they approach, the exiting paddlers store their paddles and jump over the starboard (right) side of the boat. All the while the incoming folks hoist themselves over the port side of the boat (the same side as the outrigger) and grab a paddle and join the cadence of the others. This process is completed in about 15 seconds. Once the swap is complete, the outgoing paddlers form a circle and await the chase boat for pick-up. They catch a break, hydrate, and repeat the whole process less than 30 minutes later.

ECORA was founded in 1997 with eight member clubs to formally establish Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing on the east coast of mainland U.S. and Canada. This triggered a chain reaction that ignited the founding of nearly thirty outrigger canoe clubs by 2002. Today ECORA thrives in nearly every coastal state from Ontario to Florida, and welcomes interested paddlers to join an existing club or form a new one.

The racers were welcomed back to the yacht club for an authentic Hawaiian Luau.